Media Center

Learn more about what you can expect at Shared Services Outsourcing Week Autumn and get a closer look at the focus topics of Planning & Launching, Finance Transformation, Global Business Services, and Global Process Ownership.

The agenda includes topics on:

- Specialized tracks focusing on four different Shared Service events

- A great speaker lineup including companies such as Yahoo, Uber, Gap, and more

Presentations

In this exclusive package of speaker presentations includes experts who have spoken about Planning & Launching, Finance Transformation, Global Process Ownership & Global Business Services. It includes:

Articles

As always, there are the pioneers amongst us who are blazing a path into the future. We have reviewed some of the most impressive examples to date, to identify how and where these pioneers are making a difference. Here are seven areas that offer real opportunities for change – and 5 leaders who are not afraid to break the mold.

Organizations continuously strive to achieve greater efficiencies and more streamlined operations as a matter of course, particularly with Shared Services. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the latest proposition to promise a quantum advance for Shared Services. Download the content to learn more about RPA and it's benefits to your organization!

Vale, formerly known as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce or CVRD, was a state-owned business until 1998, when it was privatized. Shortly after privatization, in 2001, there was a change in the control group, which led to a much stronger focus on growth, rather than on dividend generation. This new strategic direction made it possible for Vale to increase its market capitalization from USD 8 billion in 2001 to more than USD 160 billion by the end of 2010.

‘Having the opportunity to meet other colleagues during Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) conferences, many organizations copy and/or mirror ONE existing SSO model with all the associated “child sicknesses”. Analyzing this model – and reading these articles, I am not surprised many companies are struggling in the first years after implementation. We experienced many of these problems in the first few years at our SSC – but I would like to share some other thoughts with you on some of the problems which were outlined. Shared by Peter Andrisin, General Manager at KONE SSC in Bratislava, Slovakia.

SSON reached out to some of the biggest names in shared services and outsourcing to get their take on the most common - and potentially most devastating - mistakes companies make when setting up shared service organizations. The result: the Top Ten Mistakes Made When Implementing Shared Services.

When SSON published “Top Ten Mistakes Made When Implementing Shared Services” advice from experts across the shared services and outsourcing space on the most common errors organizations make when creating a shared services organization, the response was so popular that we decided to return to the issue. After all, the litany of potential errors doesn’t stop at ten! So here are Ten MORE Common Mistakes… Recognize any? Let’s hope not…

Infographics

Anyone acting as a GPO, moving into the role or working on a broader project it needs to audit its performance. We'll dive into what's needed more at the summit, but until then consider these three steps: Knowing when you're GPO ready, defining the right person for the role and creating a road map to success.

Historically, RPA has experienced somewhat of a mixed reception by employees who fear of being replaced and senior leadership who often dismiss it as relevant only to organizations that deal with high transactional volumes and big budgets. Despite these views, the demand for RPA tools is growing quickly and is applicable and available for everyone. Here are five considerations for harnessing the benefits of RPA regardless if you’re leading a team of two or two hundred.

We sat down with Thomas Muir, Executive Director, Support Services, MyVA Program Office. He took us through how implementing a multifunctional shared services organization focused on customer service at the VA was so successful, best practices to consider along the SSO journey, challenges that were come across in past year during this transformation, and how they were mitigated, metrics he is most proud of and what they were prior. As well as where he sees the future of SSO headed in the next 5-10 years

The concept of Global Business Services has been around since the turn of the Millennium, and global brands like Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Coca-Cola have already pioneered its development as the natural next step in their Shared Services journeys.

Vice President and Assistant Corporate Controller at Parker-Hannifin, Tony Sayer, disscusses the key steps of building a solid business case to jumpstart an SSO journey, and what you can do to assure you are getting the most out of each step, best practices to consider along an SSO journey, challenges that you may come across when launching a new SSO, and much more.

Bryce Tawney has held shared services leadership roles for oilfield services giant Halliburton for the past seven years. He recently stepped into an M&A finance integration lead role where his recent focus has been to quickly learn best practices and keys to successful integrations. From a multitude of resources he has quickly learned to manage the steep learning curve.

This exclusive material contains interviews with 3 experts on IA. Jon Theuerkauf is the Managing Director, Head of Performance Excellence, Robotic Process Automation & COE Program Head at BNY Mellon. Jason Barkham, Vice President of Business Transformation Solutions at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Jim Walker, Services Portfolio Manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Service Center (NSSC).

Reports

The annual report from SSON is the most anticipated article in the shared services industry each year, addressing the current industry landscape, the future of shared services, and everything in between. The report survey's the largest pool of shared services executives from around the globe to gain real insights and provides the most valuable analysis of the industry.

Download your free copy to find out how effective current supplier engagement practices are; how catalog management could be optimized; where Procurement practices are proving most successful; and future improvement plans. And more!

This is the Shared Services Creed: I believe our current Shared Services strategy will deliver a dramatic and recognized value to the organization beyond cost savings. This belief system separates the more advanced models from the traditional ones. Nearly 3/4 of respondents to SSON's 2016 State of the Industry survey agree with this statement.

Whitepapers

With tax authorities globally now applying new pressure through increased regulation and more stringent audits impacting intercompany transactions, penalties can be steep, swift and severe.
Mastercard's Rebecca Howard has written a whitepaper specifically for SSON's members, to point a spotlight at this problem.